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Lockdown Garden Blesses Fiji Family and Others
Couple find satisfaction in growing their own food.
The global COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns in many locations have changed everyday life in many ways. Cancelations of major events, less social interaction, and isolation have been hard to deal with, but many people are finding ways to learn, to grow and to flourish.
Sulueti Kama serves as the secretary for the president of the Fiji Suva Mission and has been many things—institute teacher, Church communication director, Zumba enthusiast . . . but never a gardener.
With more time on her hands during the COVID-19 shutdown, she grew green thumbs.
In May 2020, she and her husband drove from Suva to Nadi to check on friends who had lost their jobs. Their friends had large farms where they grew their own food. Whilst visiting a local nursery together, Sulueti saw rows of seedings. She was hooked. Her interest with gardening had begun.
Trays of seedlings, tomatoes, cabbages, and eggplants went home with her. She decided to plant them in pots and now has 84 pots full of edibles, including cucumbers, French beans, radishes, and herbs such as cilantro, dill, oregano, and chilies.
She learned about the best soil for planting, researched organic pesticides and traded stories with friends who are farmers. Her husband built her a greenhouse.
“It’s the best thing that ever happened to us, we found a hobby and a skill we never had before and got hooked on it,” Sulu stated.
Sulu’s Facebook posts often include photos of her plants and notations including these: “After an hour of Zumba at 5 a.m. I couldn’t wait to get home to check on my plants and pot some more. Was so excited to see my herbs—oregano and dill sprouting along with cucumbers . . . had just planted the seeds on Saturday.”
“I look forward to going home each day to see my plants and how much they’ve grown even though I’d just been working with them in the mornings.”
What will they do with all the vegetables at harvest time? Sulu knows. “It’s only my husband and me now and we will produce more than we need, so we let the bishop know. We pray our garden will turn out well so he can donate the food to people who need it.”